Updraft®

Weekend forecast: Chilly start, temps gradually rebound; chance of scattered showers

Frost advisory southeastern Minn. and parts of western Wisc. early Saturday

Our Memorial Day weekend begins with some very chilly temps. Lows late Friday night and early Saturday morning will reach the 30s in much of Minnesota and western Wisconsin:

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Forecast low temps late Friday night/early Saturday
National Weather Service

Official temps are measured 5 feet above the ground. When winds are light, temps near the ground can be several degrees colder than the official temps.

Frost advisories have been issued for southeastern Minnesota and parts of western Wisconsin from midnight Friday night to 7 a.m. Saturday:

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Frost advisories/freeze warnings late Friday night/early Saturday
National Weather Service

Central Wisconsin has freeze warnings late Friday night/early Saturday morning.

Here are details of the frost advisory that includes southeastern Minnesota:

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service La Crosse WI 1036 AM CDT Fri May 28 2021 IAZ008>011-018-019-029-030-MNZ079-086>088-094>096-WIZ032-033-041- 053>055-061-291200- /O.NEW.KARX.FR.Y.0008.210529T0500Z-210529T1200Z/ Mitchell-Howard-Winneshiek-Allamakee-Floyd-Chickasaw-Fayette- Clayton-Wabasha-Dodge-Olmsted-Winona-Mower-Fillmore-Houston- Buffalo-Trempealeau-La Crosse-Vernon-Crawford-Richland-Grant- Including the cities of Osage, Cresco, Decorah, Waukon, Charles City, New Hampton, Oelwein, Elkader, Wabasha, Dodge Center, Rochester, Winona, Austin, Preston, Caledonia, Alma, Arcadia, Whitehall, La Crosse, Viroqua, Prairie Du Chien, Richland Center, and Platteville 1036 AM CDT Fri May 28 2021 ...FROST ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 7 AM CDT SATURDAY... * WHAT...Temperatures as low as 33 will result in frost formation. * WHERE...Portions of southwest and west central Wisconsin, north central and northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota. * WHEN...From midnight tonight to 7 AM CDT Saturday. * IMPACTS...Frost could kill sensitive outdoor vegetation if left uncovered. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold.

The outer fringes of the Twin Cities metro area could see some patchy frost early Saturday.

You can hear updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the Minnesota Public Radio network, and you can see updated weather info on the MPR News live weather blog.

Weekend highs and winds

Saturday highs will be mainly in the 60s:

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Saturday forecast highs
National Weather Service

Our average Twin Cities high temp is 73 degrees on May 29, so metro area highs in the mid-to-upper 60s on Saturday will be several degrees below average.

Saturday wind gusts will range from over 20 mph in western Minnesota to less than 12 mph in southeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin:

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Saturday 1 p.m. forecast wind gusts
National Weather Service

Sunday highs will reach the 70s in western Minnesota, with mainly 60s in eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin:

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Sunday forecast highs
National Weather Service

Sunday afternoon wind gusts will be mainly in the 15-20 mph range:

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Sunday 1 p.m. forecast wind gusts
National Weather Service

Back to temperatures, Memorial Day highs will be mainly in the 70s:

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Monday forecast highs
National Weather Service

Spotty showers possible

Most hours will be dry this weekend. Western Minnesota could see scattered showers Saturday afternoon. That scattered shower chance spreads eastward Saturday night into Sunday morning. Another batch of scattered showers and an isolated t-storm could develop late Sunday afternoon into Sunday evening.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the potential rain pattern for Saturday morning through Sunday afternoon:

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Simulated radar Saturday afternoon through Sunday afternoon
NOAA, via Tropicaltidbits.com

At this point, Memorial Day looks mostly dry, with an isolated shower or thunderstorm possible late Monday afternoon and Monday evening.

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates on MPR News at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:39 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.

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